Child Leashes: Helpful or Humiliating

Ahhh the great child leash debate. Here's a good article on the debate between pro child harness folks and the anti.

What do you think? would you use a child harness, have you? Do you think they are helpful or humiliating?

This is one of those things before having a child I said I absolutely would never ever do, but now that I have a child and she can be so hard to keep up with, I think if I were in a very public place with a lot of people where it would be easy to lose her, I would consider it.

I think it is kind of humiliating and kind of stupid. My child is not an animal. I will just explain to my daughter to stay by mom or day and don't talk to anyone she doesn't know. If we are in a big place like a mall or the state fair, we normally use her stroller.

my son has a monkey leash! He loves the monkey but not the leash. We only use the leash if we are going out to big crowded places. my son loves to just walk wherever and You cant trust anybody anymore specially with the world we live in and I am not taking a risk of my son being snatched.

I have a harness for my son and we use it all the time. Mostly when we are shopping. It keeps him from grabbing everything and from running somewhere and getting hurt and yet still allows him to walk and get exercise. And he has no concept of being humiliated, he sees me pull it out of the diaper bag and gets excited because he knows he gets to run and walk.
Now if he were school age and we were using a harness then we would have a problem. Lol

this is one of those things that drive my NUTS! i always seen them before i became a mother and thought thats just terriable, i always said bad parenting skills, just not right, after i became a mother i "understand" why mothers would use them, but due to my thought process, ill be chasing my kids around like a crazy mother or pushing them in a stroller if need be before ill ever use one, point bein not to sound rudde, but i know how to control my children age doesnt matter, you teach that child properly, you wont have need for that type of stuff, its just an easy way to avoid doing what the parent should be doing in the moment (controlling your child) with that bein said thats Just my oppion, im not pointing fingers or judging anyone, im just throwing out there what kind of parent i am:)

there is no right way to parent every child is different. if you dont need to use a harness good for you. But please dont say that because someone uses one it is bad parenting because they cant control their child. you cant say for sure what you would do unless you were in that particular parents shoes and know all the circumstances for why they do what they do

very true, im sorry if i offended you, but every person has a diffrent style of parenting, so that will always be my personal oppion & im not gonna bash anyone for using one, thats their right to do so, i was asked my oppion and i gave it on this post, thats just the type of parent i am, i have that right as everyone else has the right to belive other ways in rasing a child regaurless of what the situation is. if thats their way of doing things good for them, they aint gonna loose any sleep over my oppion and i aint gonna loose any over theirs. (:

never needed one for my daughter but my son on the other hand is one of those kids i use to look at other parents and say to myself i would never let my child act that way or run off like that. so when my son started doing it and had tried the stroller until he learned the buckles and i tried holding his hand to keep him from running until i got pregnant again an couldnt keep up with him i bought a harness to keep him close and under control.

I think that is the key there...it is not that every parent is different but that every child is different. And every child is and should be parented according to their individual needs. If one child doesn't need something like it shouldn't be used, but on the other hand if another child need it then use it. Never say never. As good parents I am sure that we would all do whatever it takes to take care of our children to the best of our ability. If that means a harness...well...buckle up! Lol if not then that is great!

my mom has CP which makes it hard for her to walk so she used one with me i was never scarred from the ue of one and i doubt my son will be. and i agree with you whole heartedly mandi. the situation that made start using one was when i was buckling my daughter into her booster seat at a store my son ran into the middle of the parking lot a grabbed his hand and spanked him. which i dont do often but when i do its because they needed it at that moment. an elderly lady seen me spank him (2 swats on the behind) and threatened to call child protective services. i wrote my info down for her and told her to call (at the time way the only way i could think to call her bluff) that day i bought a harness

I'm on the "every child is different" team here and I will never judge someone's choices, especially when I don't know the whole story.

A friend of ours has two boys and her oldest is autistic. Surprisingly enough the older boy learned very quickly that if he didn't stay close to his parents in public places there would be consequences. Their younger son is the problem. He is a runner and every attempt at discipline didn't work. Taking something away made him scream until they all had to leave anyway. Putting him in a stroller made him tip the whole thing over and hurt himself. Spankings made him laugh. She finally got the harness and it's been great. He burns of energy and is much better behaved. He listens better when they're out and won't touch things he's not supposed to touch and doesn't throw tantrums.

I'm sure they'll wean him off of it someday but I think they made the right choice. I hope I won't have to use one with my kids but I'm staying open minded.

Humiliating! If you can't make your child be good and stay close to you in public. Then I just wouldn't let them go with me. I know my son is young but people in public have always told me and my husband. You have the most well behaved baby I have ever seen.

every child is different as so is every type of situation... sometimes its needed. kids get excited when they go places and and sometimes wonder.. then think about it also you have crazy ppl who will run up and try to just take a child and run off... a leash comes in handy in a situation like that...do what is needed. it dosent mean every child on a leash is uncontrollable

i know its sad most ppl have been subject to think one sided about certain things... you never know whats going in someone situation or what they have going on and why. the way the world is today my kids will stay locked latched and leashed...

no doubt. my mom being disabled used one on me. im afraid that the next thing i hear is disabled people shouldnt have kids because using a "leash" is not taking care of the child... i guess i just feel like im being judged because i would rather nothing happen to my child by being in a harness

I have really never had a good view of harnessing a child, but I don't believe that just because a parent uses a harness they can't "control their child." I also believe in some instances a harness is justifiable. I, however, cannot see myself ever using one for my daughter. It would feel too much like walking my dog (my opinion) since he also has a harness. :)

hubby wants to because he doesn't want to bend to hold his hand when he starts walking but i don't cause i feel as though i can hold his hand or put in cart or stroller...i told hubby if he uses one he needs not to be lazy and still pay attention to him.

I always keep my son close to me in public. And when he gets older he will be holding my hand when we go places. And I always try to keep my child a way from people If I can tell they aren't kid kinda people.I want him to be around people that want to be nice to him.

I have used one before, and my son loved it. Mason would wear it around the house just for fun. I just didn't find it that helpful. I felt like I'd just as soon hold his hand and keep him that much closer to me and he's never had a problem holding hands when I tell him to. Never used it with Audrey, and don't plan to use it with Hayden.

My sister used one when she flew to Seattle with her then 15 month old. It let my niece be able to stretch without getting too far from mommy while she was checking in. I used it a few times with my oldest until she understood she had to stay close to mom and I'm honestly debating getting or making one for my middle two.

We use one for breanika if we're in a big place like the mall. Bentley doesn't need it. Breanika has serious behavioral health problems and her actions aren't something she can always help, I don't think it would be right to keep her at home all the time like some sort of animal when they make tools we can use to help her be able to go out. Bentley isn't going to use one because he doesnt have the same problems as her. Therefore I'm on the every child is different team. It depends on what each specific child needs. We decided to get Breanikas after she ran into the street while I was paying at a yard sale. She has a green owl and actually asks to use it so it's obviously not that humiliating.

I used to laugh and mock other parents for using them...until I became a parent. It is not "bad parenting" if a child is wearing one. A child needs exercise, too, and the harness allows it without them being stuck in a stroller all the time--if they are a runner or very active. My step-daughter had to use one because she would take off in an instant. She has Down Syndrome, too. She doesn't run off anymore as she is older.

Now having a VERY active son of my own (this one cannot sit still and is all over the place, constantly, and gets bored easily), I am considering purchasing one. I am not going to yet though until I am certain he needs one.

Children do need to stretch their legs. Not all children need a harness but some do. If a child does not need one, then that is awesome! If a child does, then that is awesome as well.

What I have learned after having an active son, do not be so quick to judge another for how they parent or what they use for their child (i.e. a harness) because one: I do not know the mother or the child, and two: It is not my place to tell another how to a parent/raise their child.

I would love for this site to stop being so judgmental of other. We are ALL mothers. We parent differently. There is no right or wrong way to parent, as long as the child is not being harmed. Everyone has a right to his/her own opinion, but judging another or stating false claims is far different.

We gave the child harness a shot once at the zoo here in Tulsa (which is large and usually crowded). Violet didn't care much for it. She would get fussy because she couldn't just run around, and of course when she got tired, she would just stop, so then we're just standing there in the heat holding this leash with a toddler sitting on the ground at the end of it.... It was negatively affecting our fun family day at the zoo. We ended up taking it off. We let her keep the tiger back pack, but unclipped the leash from it. I think if it works for your child, then by all means, go for it. But if it isn't working for them, then don't. Simple as that.

I am Leah, a 26 year old first time mom. My daughter Holly was born March 9,2013. I am primarily a stay at home mom but also work part time as a Figure Skating Coach. My husband and I are enjoying life as new parents. SITE HOSTESS